One of the many arteries of Empress Market. Kite Sellers Section is an anomaly in this hyper-mart. Kite Sellers have consolidated at the entrance facing infamous Rainbow center. Colorful and Comprehensive, The Kite Shops sell all local types of Kite you could imagine; Standard Square shaped, Oval shaped, Challaydar, Lukhnow Cut and Tailwali kites. Further customization is done by putting different designs and messages on the paper. The business consolidated at Empress because it became one stop purchasing center for other small scaled vendors in Karachi and retailers from interior Sindh who place orders here for bulk purchases. The clients also include five star hotels and clubs across the city when basant and other festivals are arranged in the city.

The production of kites require bamboo sticks and paper. The paper is manufactured locally while bamboo sticks are imported from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Far East. Manjjah is prepared with a mixture of rice pitch, ground glass, colours and isapghole husk. A variety of ingredients is used to make cord competitive. Karachi historically has not faced issues with the thickness of the kite wire as the same has been faced repeatedly in Lahore resulting in the ban on Basant celebration itself.

The kite flying has not come out of age in Karachi. The innovation in the designs and paper quality has been limited. Delta wing, Drgaon Kite, Kite trains and ribbon kites has not been seen flying across Karachi Sky. The vendors at Empress have been enterprising and if a Kite festival of a reasonable attendance is introduced in Karachi, chances are that Kite flying ‘ll catch a new wave. Why not.

11 Comments on “City Shopping – Kite Sellers Street at Empress”

There’s something so cool about kites. Love them! Do you think Karachi is too windy for kite-flying? Or is windiness a good thing…?
I think it would be great if there was a kite-flying club in Karachi 🙂

I would agree to it being cool. As for windiness well that effects the size of kite. In coastal areas of Karachi would be difficult to fly huge kites which were the hallmark of Lahore and usually signaled the culmination of Basant Day right near the dusk.
There are however various types of kites and there are clubs now in USA and UK who fly Pakistan Fighter kites on the beach.
I wish you could have seen Lahore in it heydays of Basant. It would definitely compete for being one of the biggest festivals of the world. Millions of people on the roofs and millions of colorful kites in the sky, with ever major road decorated in yellow flowers. I seemed like the whole city was having a giant Mehndi function with load music blasting from every house.
For one day the rich and poor would really compete on equal grounds.
And they took it all away. I grew up having a childhood with kites in it. Now my son is denied it all.